Herb Your Enthusiasm
"Swamp is a community-driven space built on family first," says Chef Jeanne Koenigsberg, head of the kitchen at Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery in Greenville, South Carolina. What started as a small neighborhood grocery store near the Swamp Rabbit Trail has evolved into a beloved local spot: part market, part cafe, part food hub and all heart.
"When the owners first opened, it was really just intended to be a grocery," Jeanne explains. "Then it caught on with the community. People coming off the trail would come in and ask, 'What do you guys have to eat?' Mary, one of the owners, brought out the first stecca-bread sandwich."
What began as a batch of 20 loaves of stecca bread—a salty Italian bread known for its crunchy crust and soft, airy interior—has grown to 2,000 on weekends.
"People are still coming off the trail for it," Jeanne says. "A lot of the items we have were built around a need. We cater to what's being asked for, but we weave in seasonality. But some items have become staples."
Despite the cafe's growing popularity, Swamp Rabbit has remained true to its roots. "We're a grocery first, cafe second and food hub third," Jeanne says.
But that food hub? It fuels everything.
Just a three-minute walk from the cafe, the food hub creates a bridge between farmers and the community. "We're able to take a lot of work off the farmers when it comes to finding a restaurant that can house their goods," she explains.
The food hub distributes goods to restaurants and local buyers, providing small farms a fair chance to sell their products. The system also ensures that Swamp Rabbit's produce is as fresh as possible. "We're getting a lot of items that might have been picked from the ground that morning," Jeanne adds. "It's some of the freshest you can get here in South Carolina."
For Jeanne, that direct link to farmers is personal. "My family is partially from farm country in Pennsylvania," she says. "I grew up not really knowing what farm-to-table was because that's just what there was. When I had my first chef job, I was really passionate about having that farmer touch. It's interwoven in everything I do."
That connection is evident in how the cafe operates. "The cafe is my showcase," Jeanne says. "My adaptation of what the seasons are." With the cafe's growing popularity, staying truly seasonal has become increasingly challenging. "It's difficult to find farmers who can keep up with the demand," she admits. "That's why I like to highlight specific farmers and their goods when I can. Some of our menu items are built around that relationship.
A Sandwich with Purpose
That philosophy led to the creation of a roast beef sandwich called Herb Your Enthusiasm, made with beef from Knockout Butchery in Roebuck.
"We make all our own lunch meats in-house with products from local farms," Jeanne says. "When my butcher said we needed another roast beef sandwich, I started thinking about what we can do that's different, that's fun and interesting."
Created during the winter months, the name came before the sandwich.
"We don't get a ton of produce during winter, but herbs and local onions are easy to get," she says. "We also get beef bones from Knockout, which we use for a nice sipping broth that sells well. I thought I'd love to take that bone broth and make like an au jus to soften the bread."
Made with thinly sliced roast beef, mountain jack cheese, herbed butter, caramelized onions and freshly baked stecca bread, Herb Your Enthusiasm strikes a balance between bold and comforting flavors. But it’s more than just a tasty sandwich with a clever name—it's a symbol of Swamp Rabbit's resourcefulness and commitment to sustainability.
"We try and utilize as much waste as we possibly can. We'll peel carrots and use the scraps in other applications, then combine everything to make broth. Sometimes, we use herb stems to pull the last of the season out of them," Jeanne says. "We’ve really tried to get to a point where we're using tail-to-nose on three cows a week."
At Knockout Butchery, owners Travis and Missy Howard are just as committed to sustainability, from the organic fertilizer they use to the way they rotate their cattle. But to make the farm sustainable, it also meant finding a way to control their revenue.
The Howards quickly realized that the best way they could become sustainable—and have something to pass down to their children—was to direct-market their product rather than sending cattle to the stockyard.
"With the stockyard, prices could swing wildly from year to year. We were basically getting what they would pay us," says Travis. "We partnered with some friends who are chefs in the area who wanted to carry our beef in their restaurant. We processed a few cattle for them, and it took off from the direct-to-consumer standpoint."
One of the turning points came in 2017 when Travis and Missy walked into Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery. "We asked to speak to the butcher. He came over, we talked and we made an agreement to bring in whole carcass beef for them to break down," Travis says. "We've been with them ever since."
The partnership has helped both sides grow. "When we started out with Swamp Rabbit, we were maybe delivering 100 pounds of meat a week," Missy says. "Now we're bringing in one and a half to two cows every week."
"Swamp Rabbit is part of our farm. They're part of who we are," Travis adds. "We owe them everything we have. We're forever grateful for them."
"I've done this my whole life," says Missy, "my family has raised cattle since I was born. It was a cow-calf operation."
"When Missy and I got married, we moved out to the farm," says Travis. "She's watched her dad and grandfather commit their lives to this property. I've watched them work this land and make it what it is. I knew I had to do my part and teach our son the same. The farm doesn't pay for itself just sitting there; you have to work it."
After they were married, a friend of theirs, a chef, got in touch, asking if they were interested in direct-market beef.
"It was cool seeing the process and then the final product on a plate," Missy says.
Building a Sustainable Future
The Howards quickly realized that the best way they could become sustainable—and have something to pass down to their children—was to direct-market their product rather than sending cattle to the stockyard.
"With the stockyard, prices could swing wildly from year to year. We were basically getting what they would pay us," says Travis. "We partnered with some friends who are chefs in the area who wanted to carry our beef in their restaurant. We processed a few cattle for them, and it took off from the direct-to-consumer standpoint."
One of the turning points came in 2017 when Travis and Missy walked into Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery. "We asked to speak to the butcher. He came over, we talked and we made an agreement to bring in whole carcass beef for them to break down," Travis says. "We've been with them ever since."
The partnership has helped both sides grow. "When we started out with Swamp Rabbit, we were maybe delivering 100 pounds of meat a week," Missy says. "Now we're bringing in one and a half to two cows every week."
"Swamp Rabbit is part of our farm. They're part of who we are," Travis adds. "We owe them everything we have. We're forever grateful for them."
For the Howards, it's about legacy—preserving the land, honoring the past and building something their children can inherit.
"Get with your grandpa, get with your dad," Travis adds. "See what it really takes to care for the land. That's what farming is—generation after generation. If you pass it down without someone working for it, that's the quickest way to lose it."
From a single sandwich to a full-fledged food ecosystem, Swamp Rabbit continues to grow—but it hasn't lost sight of where it started.
"It's about community," Jeanne says. "It always has been."
Herb Your Enthusiasm Sandwich
Ingredients
Thinly sliced premium roast beef
Mountain Jack cheese
Stecca bread, sliced lengthwise (or substitute with Cuban or French bread)
Herbed butter*
Caramelized onions*
Bone broth, warmed, for dipping*
*Recipe below.
Instructions
Slice the bread in half lengthwise. Spread herbed butter on both cut sides.
On one side, spread a generous layer of caramelized onions, then top with slices of Mountain Jack cheese.
On the other side, pile on the roast beef.
Place the sandwich open-faced under a broiler or in a toaster oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly, and the roast beef edges begin to crisp.
Close the sandwich, slice if desired and serve warm. Enjoy on its own or dip into a cup of hot bone broth for added richness.
Note: If you don’t want to make your own bone broth, store bought will do fine. If you want to elevate store-bought broth, simmer it for 5 – 10 minutes with a sprig of rosemary, a smashed garlic clove and a few black peppercorns. Strain and serve.
Caramelized Onions
Ingredients
3 – 4 yellow onions
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
42 g brown sugar (a little under 1/3 cup)
2 Tbsp olive oil
Slice onions and saute over medium heat until soft and translucent.
Add balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan.
Stir in brown sugar.
Cook over medium-low heat for about 20 – 25 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are deeply caramelized and reduced.
Herbed Butter
Ingredients
1 lb (4 sticks) unsalted butter
2 tbsp + 2 tsp Roasted garlic, pureed
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Olive oil
1/3 cup Parsley
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Thyme
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Rosemary
1/3 cup Scallions
2 tbsp + 2 tsp Sea salt
Let the butter soften to room temperature.
Pulse thyme and rosemary in blender with roasted garlic and olive oil to create a puree.
Finely chop parsley and cut the scallions as thin as possible.
Put butter in small mixer with the other ingredients.
Whip the mixture until it either doubles in size or becomes light and fluffy. Using a spatula, put butter mixture in a container and store in refrigerator until firm.
Herbed Beef Broth
Roasted Bones
1–1.5 lbs beef knuckle bones or marrow bones (tossed in tomato paste)
Stock Base
16 cups water (1 gallon)
Finishing Aromatics
½ to 1 Yellow Onion, halved
½ cup Carrot Scraps (or 1 medium carrot, rough chopped)
2 – 3 Celery stalks, halved
2 – 4 cloves Garlic, smashed (about 1 – 2 tablespoons chopped)
1 tbsp Fresh Thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
2 tbsps Fresh Rosemary (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1 – 2 Bay Leaves
1 tsp Whole Black Peppercorns
2 tbsps Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Sea Salt
Instructions
Prepare the Bones
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Toss 1–1.5 lbs. of beef knuckle or marrow bones in 1 – 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and roast on a baking sheet for 15 – 20 minutes, until browned.
Start the Stock
Transfer the roasted bones to a large pot.
Add 8 cups of water (enough to cover the bones by a few inches).
Bring to a gentle boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer (just a few small bubbles rising). Skim off any foam that floats to the top.
Turn on the stove vent fan and leave it on while you let the bones simmer gently for 6 – 8 hours, uncovered or partially covered. For even deeper flavor, you can go up to 12 hours if time allows.
Add Aromatics
Remove the bones with a strainer and add all of the aromatics except for the lemon juice and sea salt. Let simmer for 1 – 2 hours, then remove aromatics with a slotted spoon or strainer.
Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve into another pot or large bowl.
Add 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tsp sea salt (adjust to taste).
Transfer to smaller pots and chill in the fridge or place in an ice bath to cool it faster.
Once fully chilled, the fat will solidify on top. Scoop it off with a spoon. Store in jars or containers in the fridge (up to 5 days) or freeze for up to 3 months.
